CAPLines

The CAPlines program for loans up to $5 million is designed to help small businesses meet their short-term and cyclical working capital needs. The programs can be used to finance seasonal working capital needs; finance the direct costs of performing certain construction, service and supply contracts, subcontracts, or purchase orders; finance the direct cost associated with commercial and residential construction; or provide general working capital lines of credit that have specific requirements for repayment. There are four distinct loan programs under the CAPlines umbrella:

The Contract Loan Program finances the cost associated with contracts, subcontracts or purchase orders. Proceeds can be disbursed before the work begins. If used for one contract or subcontract when all the expenses are incurred before the buyer pays, it will generally not revolve. If used for more than one contract or subcontract, or for contracts and subcontracts where the buyer pays before all work is done, the line of credit can revolve. The loan maturity is usually based on the length of the contract, but no more than 10 years. Contract payments are generally sent directly to the lender, but alternative structures are available.

The Seasonal Line of Credit Program supports the buildup of inventory, accounts receivable or labor and materials above normal usage for seasonal inventory. The business must have been in business for a period of 12 months and must be able to demonstrate that it has a definite established seasonal pattern. The loan may be used over again after a “clean up” period of 30 days to finance activity for a new season. These loans also may have a maturity of up to five years. The business may not have another seasonal line of credit outstanding, but may have other lines for non-seasonal working capital needs.

The Builders Line Program provides financing for small contractors or developers to construct or rehabilitate residential or commercial property that will be sold to a third party that is not known at the time construction/rehabilitation begins. Loan maturity is generally three years, but can be extended up to five years, if necessary, to facilitate the sale of the property. Proceeds are used solely for direct expenses of acquisition, immediate construction and/or significant rehabilitation of the residential or commercial structures. Land purchase can be included if it does not exceed 20 percent of the loan proceeds. Up to five percent of the proceeds can be used for community improvements that benefit the overall property.

The Working Capital Line of Credit Program is a revolving line of credit (up to $5,000,000) that provides short-term working capital. Businesses that generally use these lines provide credit to their customers or have inventory as their major asset. Disbursements are generally based on the size of a borrower’s accounts receivable and/or inventory. Repayment comes from the collection of accounts receivable or sale of inventory. The specific structure is negotiated with the lender. There may be extra servicing and monitoring of the collateral for which the lender can charge additional fees to the borrower.